1. Interview two of your colleagues who were in different groups about their experience and reflect on it.

Interview with Mohamed:

Expectations: Mohamed anticipated that the group activity would be about how Americans and America are perceived, and vice versa.

What actually happened: Mohamed’s expectations were not fulfilled because there was not enough time to dive into the main topic, and one ended up bringing it up.

Surprise: Mohamed was surprised when he knew from Dr. Maha that a transgender student would be in the group.
Enjoyment: What Mohamed enjoyed most was talking to the international students and discovering shared perspectives despite cultural differences.

Learning: Mohamed learned how to connect with others by finding common ground, particularly since the other group members had more travel experiences than he did.

Anonymous

Interaction: He thought that it would not be familiar. However, he did not feel that there is a difference between the foreigner student and any other student from his colleagues. He enjoyed it.

Challenges: the conversation did not challenge any of his beliefs.

Presenting Culture: he said that is very slipped on my many as Arab Muslims are divergent.

2. In your interview, ask the other students to recall “Cohen’s tourist typology” and then write to yourself what kind of tourist you think you are.

I believe I am the closest to the explorer type since I would like to step outside the typical tourist bubble; however, I believe drifter is extreme. I still prefer some level of comfort and security when travelling. I enjoy discovering new cultures – especially European ones – but I don’t want to be completely detached from familiar structure. For example, I prefer having accommodations booked in advance.

3. Find someone on campus who is not Egyptian and show them your ALTCV, and reflect on what they noticed in your ALTCV.

I showed it to an English student. He noticed my values section and said that it gave them a quick idea of what I care about. Also, he liked that part when I said I turned socializing from a weakness to a strength. What caught his attention the most was the dreams section (Mansion, Aston Martins, and Yacht). Lastly, he liked the way I balanced between those big dreams with simple inspirations like family, friends, and movies. He pointed out that it is very relatable.

I realized how the ALTCV is very different from the normal CV, as it starts conversations about who a person is and what matters to them. Something a typical CV won’t ever do.